The tricuspid and mitral valves, also referred to as the atrioventricular valves, separate the atrium and ventricle on the right and left sides of heart, respectively. The function of the atrioventricular valves is to allow flow of blood between the atrium and ventricle during ventricular diastole and atrial systole but prevent the backflow of blood during ventricular systole. The mitral valve is composed of a fibrous ring called the mitral annulus located between the left atrium and the left ventricle, the anterior and posterior leaflets, the chordae tendineae, and the papillary muscles. The leaflets extend from the mitral annulus and are tethered by the chordae tendineae to the papillary muscles which are attached to the left ventricle. The function of the papillary muscles is to contract during ventricular systole and limit the travel of the valve leaflets back toward the left atrium. If the valve leaflets are allowed to bulge backward into the atrium during ventricular systole, called prolapse, leakage of blood through the valve can result. The structure and operation of the tricuspid valve is similar.
Mitral regurgitation (MR), also referred to as mitral insufficiency or mitral incompetence, is characterized by an abnormal reversal of blood flow from the left ventricle to the left atrium during ventricular systole. This occurs when the leaflets of the mitral valve fail to close properly as the left ventricle contracts, thus allowing retrograde flow of blood back into the left atrium. Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) occurs in a similar manner. MR and TR can be due to a variety of structural causes such as ruptured chordae tendineae, leaflet perforation, or papillary muscle dysfunction. Functional MR and TR may also occur in heart failure patients due to annular dilatation or myocardial dysfunction, both of which may prevent the valve leaflets from coapting properly.
In acute mitral valve regurgitation, the incompetent mitral valve allows part of the ventricular ejection fraction to reflux into the left atrium. Because the atrium and ventricle are not able to immediately dilate, the volume overload of the atrium and ventricle results in elevated left atrial and pulmonary venous pressures and acute pulmonary edema. The reduction in forward stroke volume due to the reflux through the regurgitant valve reduces systemic perfusion, which if extreme enough can lead to cardiogenic shock. In chronic mitral valve regurgitation, on the other hand, the left atrium and ventricle dilate over time in response to the volume overload which acts as a compensatory mechanism for maintaining adequate stroke volume. The left ventricular dilatation, however, may further prevent proper coaptation of the mitral valve leaflets during systolic ejection, leading to progression of the left ventricular dilatation and further volume overload. Patients with compensated MR may thus remain asymptomatic for years despite the presence of severe volume overload, but most people with MR decompensate over the long term and either die or undergo a corrective surgical procedure. In order to provide early and appropriate intervention, patients with MR may be identified by clinical examination and/or with specific imaging modalities such as echocardiography.